Administrative Rules of the Unified Court System & Uniform Rules of the Trial Courts

Uniform Rules for
N.Y.S. Trial Courts

PART 216.
Sealing Of Court Records In Civil Actions In The Trial Courts

Commercial
reuse of the Rules as they appear on this web site is
prohibited. The official version of the Rules published
in the NYCRR is available on Westlaw.

216.01 Sealing of court records

Section
216.1 Sealing of court records.

(a) Except where otherwise provided by statute or rule,
a court shall not enter an order in any action or proceeding
sealing the court records, whether in whole or in part, except
upon a written finding of good cause, which shall specify
the grounds thereof. In determining whether good cause has
been shown, the court shall consider the interests of the
public as well as of the parties. Where it appears necessary
or desirable, the court may prescribe appropriate notice and
opportunity to be heard.

(b) For purposes of this rule, "court records"
shall include all documents and records of any nature filed
with the clerk in connection with the action. Documents obtained
through disclosure and not filed with the clerk shall remain
subject to protective orders as set forth in CPLR 3103(a).